


If It Was Real (or Florencia and Jazmín rehearse a sex scene for a telenovela and everything comes undone)

by guardianrock



Category: Las Estrellas (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, Tumblr Prompt, Unresolved Sexual Tension, bad telenovela dialogue but on purpose
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-12
Updated: 2018-02-22
Packaged: 2019-03-17 07:18:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13654164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/guardianrock/pseuds/guardianrock
Summary: Jazmín nodded and hummed her agreement, so Florencia clutched her jacket in a telenovela-appropriate fashion and closed her eyes for a moment to center herself. Rosa was supposed to swoon at the thought of making love to her secret lover and love of her life Roberto. She opened her eyes and looked straight into Jazmín’s flushed face, and moaned, “Oh, Jaz! -Fuck, fuck-. Sorry, sorry!”“It’s cool,” Jazmín said in a tight voice.----Based on part 24 of the Flozmin playlist, or episode 40. Florencia got another part in a telenovela and needed someone to rehearse, in the show, Jazmín said no, but what would have happened if she had said yes? Maybe something along these lines.





	1. ¿Qué Quieres de Mi?

_Cuánto cuesta tu alegría,_  
_Si al pie de la letra compro lo que pidas,_  
_Yo vivo a tus pies, y tú no lo ves,_  
_Y sigues así,_  
_Que quieres de mí, que quieres de mí._

¿Qué Quieres de Mi? - Luis Fonsi

 

Even before she had been old enough to learn how to read, Florencia Estrella had one dream: to be an actress.

One of her earliest memories was sitting with Virginia on the floor in front of their grandmother’s television, watching Ana Maria Picchio and being absolutely enchanted by her performance. Of course, her mother had completely lost her shit when Florencia had told her how they had spent their afternoon, as if watching one little telenovela would rot their brain. But her mother’s low opinion of actresses and acting, in general, had been of little consequence to her. She had a dream and, as she had told her mother back then, standing as tall as a five-year-old could, no one was going to keep her from achieving her dreams.

That confidence had lasted less than a month, because as soon after she had turned six, her world had been smashed into pieces when she found out that her dad, her hero, the best man in the whole wide world, had two other daughters, one who had been born in the same exact day and time as Florencia. Soon after, the tics had started. Noises falling from her lips without any control, arms and fingers jerking as if they had a mind of their own had become the center of her life and acting and happiness had fallen to the sidelines.

But she never forgot her one true dream even as she studied to be an astrologist, and a beautician, and a tour guide, and a makeup artist, and any course she could get her hands on. There was one consistent thing in her life: acting. It was her one solace, even if she sometimes broke into tics when she tripped over her lines, or struggled through a scene because she held her body too tightly in a desperate attempt to keep herself under control. When she acted, Florencia could be anyone, someone brave and free, someone who did not ruin every single relationship she had with her insecurities and fears.

She loved acting more than anything in the world, except maybe Vir, and when she had landed a role in a period piece, mostly thanks to Jazmín being her lucky charm, she had been bursting with excitement. And then, a second role had all but fallen on her lap because the casting agency had liked her so much. How could she say no to that? Even if her part was a bit risqué, it was everything she wanted. There was one little problem though, everybody she knew was a fucking asshole because they refused to help her run the lines. No one was willing to help her. Not Fede, who had said no when she said she was worried Daniel would get jealous if he saw what the scenes were like. Not Javo, who had looked emotionally constipated when she mentioned the word sex, his face showing fifty percent more emotion than usual. Not even Jazmín, who was always so generous and kind and sweet, was willing to help.

When Florencia had shared the good news, Jazmín had been bursting with pride as she threw her arms around Florencia, holding her so tight and for so long Florencia had felt Jazmín’s beating heart against her own. She had felt like the strongest, tallest woman on earth when Jazmín had whispering into her redding ear, “you’re so amazing, of course they want you back for another role.” With Jazmín by her side, acting like her lucky charm, she knew she could wow the director again and get an even better, or less worse, part. The way Jazmín had build up her confidence and had helped her find the right emotional tone for the role last time had been invaluable, there was no way Florencia could do it without her, so it had been a total surprised when Jazmín had reacted so negatively when she had seen the script.

Initially, Jazmín had said yes, squealing in the most adorable way when Florencia had said, “I can’t practice this without my scene partner.” And then Jazmín’s smile had disappeared when Florencia said the part included a rather explicit sex scene. When Florencia had shown her that page, Jazmín’s face had turned so white she had looked like a living porcelain doll, her ears redding like hot ambers as she read the first few lines. With one indecipherable look, her green eyes a dark whirlwind of emotions, she had taken a deep breath, closed her eyes so tightly it had to hurt and had simply said, “no” as she turned around and had left the kitchen, leaving Florencia clutching her tablet and feeling like she had somehow insulted her best friend in the worst way.

Giving chase had been a waste of time, Jazmín was fast and her legs so much longer than hers, but Florencia had tried, feeling absolutely horrible that she had misread Jazmín so badly. The truth was that she had not considered for a moment that Jazmín would be uncomfortable reading, let alone rehearsing, such a scene. Never in a million years, would Florencia have imagined that Jazmín would turn out to be such an uptight person. Everything about Jazmín screamed strength, self-confidence, and freedom, from the way she swayed her hips in an almost hypnotic rhythm when she walked to the way she laughed, so carefree and unrestrained, to the way she calmly and coolly turned down any guy who attempted to flirt with her. Even the way she dressed, crop tops that showed off her muscular abs, and tight jeans that hugged her strong legs and even stronger backside, painted the picture of a woman that feared nothing and no one, someone who walked to the beat of her own rhythm and was not afraid to show it. But maybe Florencia had been wrong. After all, Jazmín was also frustratingly private, keeping her cards close to her heart and rarely letting Florencia get more than a glimpse of her personal life. The fact that she had managed to get inside Jazmín’s apartment twice felt like a small miracle, after that Florencia thought Jazmín had opened up to her, but maybe Florencia had crossed some sort of invisible boundary when she asked Jazmín to simulate having sex with her. Not everybody was comfortable doing something like that.

Feeling like the world’s saddest loser, so herself, Florencia had turned to Leo, her last chance. She had turned up the charmed as high as she could as she approached him. Surprisingly, Leo had also said no, leaving with a panicked look on his face and hauling ass like death herself was after him, probably because he saw Lucía coming their way and he was deadly afraid of her, as most sane people were. He would not have said no to Miranda or Carla, or especially Lucía. Unlike her, they knew how to charm or threaten people into doing what they wanted. There was something missing in her, maybe the stars had not been right when she had been conceived, maybe there was a flaw in her DNA. The only thing she knew with any certainty was that she lacked that something that made all her sisters so amazing and irresistible.

What a sad, pathetic loser she was. The defective Estrella.

“- _Ass, ass-,”_ she choked out, slapping her chest. She looked up at the sky, so clear and beautiful from her little corner of the deck. It reminded her how small she was, how alone she was.

“What are you doing out here?” Jazmín said, sitting next to her. Florencia almost laughed, she should have known that if she was feeling down, sooner or later Jazmín would be at her side, like she always was.

“Contemplating - _ass, ass-_ how much of a loser I am,” Florencia said, closing her eyes and bringing the tablet she was holding to shield her face. The last thing she wanted was Jazmín seeing her crying.

“Come on, you’re not a loser,” Jazmín said, bumping their shoulders together.

“Yes, yes I am _-fucking pathetic-_. I can’t do anything right,” she said, peeking at Jaz over the tablet, feeling a little silly how much it hurt that Jazmín did not want to run the lines with her. “And I’m not saying that to get you to rehearse with me,” she rushed to say between high pitched grunts when Jazmín gave her a guilty look. “You’re not comfortable with that and I get it.”

“Everybody said no?” Jazmín asked, looking deep into Florencia’s eyes. There was a gentleness about her that was so comforting. She could say anything to Jazmín, anything at all, and she would listen.

“Yeah,” she sighed.

“What about Dani?”Jazmín asked, looking away and shifting her feet. What was her problem with Daniel?

“I don’t want Dani to see how explicit the scenes are. If he got jealous with a - _shitty-_ kiss imagine how he’s going to get with me wrapping my legs around some guy’s hips and - _fucking him-_ simulating sex,” Florencia said, slapping her chest and snorting. Sometimes, she wished he was as supportive and generous as Jazmín. Every gift of his had the subtle scent of one-upmanship and an underline current of pity. But the comparison was not fair; no one was amazing as Jaz. Not Vir, not her dad, and certainly not Dani. “He doesn’t get that the scenes are fake. You don’t get all hot _-chichi-_ and bothered during a sex scene. You don’t start an affair over something like that.”

At that, Jazmín gave her a dubious look. “Aren’t those scenes kinda intimate?”

“Not at all,” Florencia said, knowing exactly what she was talking about. “You’re so busy thinking about what you have to do next that you forget your scene partner - _has a thick dick-_ is even a person.”

“I mean, some actors have started affairs on-set,” Jazmín said, shrugging her shoulders, and resting her cheek on her hand as she peered at Florencia.

“- _Combative vulva-_ yeah, but that’s because they spend so much time together outside of the set and create true intimacy like that. The affair starts before the first sex scene, trust me. You’re not gonna get hot because some random _-asshole-_ dude is fake thrusting against your stomach. You can’t feel something that’s not there from the beginning,” Florencia said, more or less repeating what she had told Daniel a few days ago.

“Makes sense,” Jazmín said, nodding in agreement. Of course, Jazmín actually listened to what she said. What couldn’t Dani be more like her?

“Doesn’t matter. I won’t do the scene,” Florencia said with a dismissive wave of her hand. She was feeling a bit better but could not hide her disappointment, or at least she did not try to do it because she was with Jazmín. It felt wrong to keep things from her; she liked how she could be open and honest around Jazmín. A silly novela was not worth jeopardizing that.

Jazmín sighed and looked at her, and even before she opened her mouth Florencia knew what she was going to say. Sometimes, she could read Jazmín like an open book. Sometimes she was impossible to decipher. “I’ll help you,” she said, just as expected.

“No, no, it’s fine, I swear! I’ll audition for another - _fucking ass-_ role and get it - _fucked in the ass-_ for sure,” Florencia said with fake cheeriness. That was highly unlikely but she did not want Jazmín to pity her. From everybody else, she could handle it but not from Jazmín, she would not accept it. It would break her.

“Flor,” Jazmín said, her voice so soft and gentle Florencia felt compelled to lean in close. “I’ll do it. It’s not a big deal. I just,” she started to said and stopped, looking at Florencia with weary eyes. “I just didn’t want to do anything that would make you feel uncomfortable.”

“Why would I feel uncomfortable? Jaz, you’re the one person that makes me feel comfortable all the time,” Florencia said, shifting in her chair until her knees bumped Jazmín’s own.

“Really?” Jazmín seemed surprised. Wasn’t it obvious?

“That’s why I wanted to practice with you. I couldn’t ask for a better acting partner than you. I never worry about you being all judgy or mean,” she said, playfully bumping their knees together until Jazmín’s face broke into a sweet smile, the tip of her ears redding just a bit. How could anyone be so beautiful? She did not understand how Jazmín was single. Any guy would be lucky to have someone as special and as amazing as her. But then again, what guy could be worthy of her?

“Okay, then I’ll do it--”

“Jaz, no. You didn’t want to befo--”

“I want to now,” Jazmín said, nodding her head with finality.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes--”

Unable to contain her excitement, Florencia threw her arms around Jazmín’s shoulders. “Thank you, thank you, thank you! You’re the best,” she said, nuzzling Jazmín’s warm cheek as she squeezed hard and held onto her for a long moment.

Laughing melodiously, Jaz hugged her back, her hands gently rubbing along Florencia’s shoulder blades, just on the spot where she carried most of her tension. Her touch and her presence were enough to make Florencia’s shoulders drop just a bit as she relaxed. It was absolutely perfect, to be in Jazmín’s arms. She simply gave the best hugs.

“We can do it after my shift is over,” Jazmín said, moving back and ending the hug, leaving Florencia feeling a little cold.

“So late? But how about now? Don’t you have a free moment? We need ten minutes, fifteen tops,” Florencia said, holding onto Jazmín’s hands, moving her thumbs along the soft skin. “Your hands are so soft,” she said before she could stop herself.

Jazmín hummed a response and moved her hands to her lap. “Javo is already being all cranky today. I think if I don’t go back to the kitchen soon to chop some bell peppers he’s going to kill me,” Jazmín said, rolling her eyes.

“I’ll talk with him--”

“No, he needs the help. You know how complicated things are with him and… everything,” Jazmín finished lamely, clearly trying to keep Javo and Vir’s privacy and doing a pretty bad job at it. Jazmín could not keep a secret for shit.

“Okay, so my room? After your shift is over?”

Biting her bottom lip, Jazmín stood up and nodded. “I’ll try to finish early. I promise.”

 

-o-

 

 Just as the dinner rush ended, over two hours before the night shift usually finished, there was a knocked on Florencia’s door and when she opened it, she was greeted with the image of a smiling Jazmín, leaning against her door frame, her red hair loose, her makeup redone. The black uniform that looked so good on her had been exchanged for tight jeans, a white crop top, and her leather jacket.

“Thank you so, so much,” Florencia said, hugging her as Jazmín came into the room.

“No problem,” she answered with a tight smile. “So, here we are,” she said, wringing her hands and looking around the room, as if she had not seen it a million times before.

“Okay, your lines are pink and mine are purple,” Florencia said, giving Jazmín a copy of the script. “I think we should start with the last scene since it’s the one I’m having the most trouble with.” She had already memorized most of the script, but she was missing the proper timing and the emotional resonance necessary to transform words in a piece of paper to dialogue worthy of being filmed, even if this particular dialogue was fifty percent moaning. “Most of it is rather physical, so I need to know how to move.”

“Okay,” Jazmín said, sitting on the bed and flipping through the script, stopping at a random page and reading for a few moments. “Wow, these lines are…” Jazmín said, her lips twisting into a tight smile. “Quite something.”

“They are a bit--”

“Really pornographic,” Jazmín said, making a face at the script, as if it had personally offended her.

“They are not that bad,” Florencia said, playfully slapping Jazmín’s shoulder.

“You’re mine and I’m going to take what’s mine. I’m going to make you scream my name. I’m going to make you beg,” Jazmín read out loud, her voice breathy as she drawled the words in a playfully seductive tone.

“It’s supposed to be sensual and romantic--”

“Roberto rips open Rosa’s shirt and takes her like an animal in heat,” Jazmín said, slowly lifting her head up, the tips of her ears redding noticeably as she closed her eyes for a moment, as if she could not stand to look at Florencia. “Ahre, that’s pure poetry. Can they even show this on TV?”

“The novela is on after eleven pm so it’s a more mature show for - _horny perverts-_ an older audience,” Florencia said, snapping her fingers and rolling her shoulders as she reminded herself that she had actually done raunchier scenes during her stint in community theatre. Those had not been great plays either.

Raising her eyebrows, Jazmín flipped to the next page, her lips twisting downwards as she fought to keep a smile from her face. The tips of her ears had turned a bright red, and grew redder the more she read.

 _What a prude,_ Florencia thought fondly. Never before had she seen Jazmín so completely out of her element. This did not seem the same woman who had gone out dancing with her, Miru and Carla, and had not shown a single shred of shyness as she danced her heart’s content, her black cardigan falling off one of her shoulders as she circled her hips to the beat of the music with little inhibition.

Suddenly feeling thirsty, Florencia went to the service cart she had not sent downstairs yet and poured herself a glass of cool water, tapping the jug of water thrice. After thinking for a moment, Florencia sipped her water and said, “It’s not like the director - _ancient dick-_ is filming it for his personal collection… He’s so old I don’t think he can legally buy enough Viagra to keep his sad, dusty dick up.”

At that, Jazmín exploded with laughter, throwing her head back and almost falling off the bed as her whole body shook uncontrollably. She grabbed a nearby pillow and threw it at Florencia, missing by a mile. “Flor, oh my god!”

Feeling oddly proud of herself at how red Jazmín had gotten, Florencia held her head high as she said, “Just sayin’.”

In response, Jazmín bit her lower lip and playfully rolled her eyes, still chuckling a bit, and Florencia was sure no one else got to see Jazmín like that: rolling on a bed, laughing her heart’s content, teary-eyed and blushing prettily.

“You’re so pretty when you laugh,” Florencia said, sitting next to her. She had no idea why she said that, even if it was the truth.

“You’re beautiful,” Jazmín answered back, her voice soft and tender. “Okay, let’s do this.”

“Okay, let me walk you through the scene. We start at the door, Roberto surprises Rosa in her bedroom.”

“I’m Roberto, right?” Jazmín said with a grin.

“- _Dumbass comment-_ ,” Florencia choked out. “Yes, you’re Roberto.”

“Just sayin’,” Jazmín answered back, her eyes dancing with mirth.

Trying not to smile, Florencia stood up and walked to the door, walking back to the bed as she spoke. “So Roberto can’t handle their affair being a secret anymore but Rosa is too scared to leave her husband. It’s supposed to be a sensual, desperate lovemaking. Dialogue, dialogue, Roberto kisses Rosa. Rosa tries to resist but can’t. Dialogue, dialogue, Roberto throws Rosa on the bed, rips her shirt open, Rosa wraps her legs around his waist, some sensual grinding and kissing, more dialogue. You flip me on my stomach, take off my underwear and take me from behind, and scene!” Florencia finished with a smile, clapping her hands and turning to look at Jazmín, who seemed strangely frozen in place as she stared at the door. “Jaz, you okay with that?”

Clearing her throat, still not looking at her, Jazmín slowly nodded her head as she said in a tight voice, “Yup! Easy, easy scene. Super easy. No problem at all. Just throw you on the bed. Very easy.”

“Yeah, throw me on the bed,” she agreed with a self-conscious laugh. “No shirt ripping or kissing necessary, though,” Florencia added after a moment.

Slouching her body forward, Jazmín breathed out a quiet, “oh, thank God.”

Letting Jazmín go back to her script without a word, Florencia considered the very real possibility of feeling deeply, deeply offended that the thought of kissing her had been such a horrible prospect for Jazmín. Last time, Jazmín had no trouble fake-kissing her, even if they had never managed to actually do that part of the scene because Daniel kept butting in like a fucking asshole, trying to correct the lines or making stupid suggestions. They had only managed to do the scene, the whole scene, after Florencia had promised to kiss only him every time the script called for her character to kiss Jazmín. “- _Interrupting dick-_ ,” she choked out, grabbing her script as if she needed to check some of the lines.

“Are you okay?” Jazmín asked, looking up from the page she was reading.

“Yeah, are you ready?” Florencia said, scratching her arms.

“Gimme another minute,” Jazmín said, eying Florencia’s fingers as they moved up and down her arms. “Here, sit with me,” she said, reaching out for her and Florencia automatically grabbed her hand.

Settling next to Jazmín, Florencia decided to take the opportunity to get in character. She closed her eyes and tried to picture the kind of woman Rosa would be beyond the words of the script. Maybe someone like Carla, proud and controlled on the surface but soft and neurotic underneath it all? No, that would not work. Rosa was someone that was too afraid to let her sexual desires free, not someone like Carla who ran full steam ahead any time a man looked at her twice. Maybe someone like Miranda? No, that was absolutely ridiculous. Miranda was the opposite of a woman that blushed when a lover took off her underwear. Or maybe, just maybe, she was someone like Jazmín.

Looking sideways, Florencia stared at Jazmín, taking in the way her green eyes moved back and forth over the page as she silently mouthed her lines. It was hard to imagine Jazmín blushing as she undressed for a lover, not knowing how or where to touch. No, a woman who clearly spent so much time working out to sculpt such a strong body undressed confidently, without shame. A woman like Jazmín undressed knowing any sane person who saw her like that would fall on their knees and worship her. A woman like Jazmín was not afraid of her desires, of her needs. Underneath that calm exterior, there was a passionate woman who knew what she wanted and how she wanted it. Oh, it was easy to picture Jazmín losing herself in an intense embrace, that confident smile on her face as she opened her body, spread her legs wide open for her lover. Her hands traveling down her own body, touching flesh she knew so well, guiding a curious mouth to her breasts, and curious hands between her thighs. Uninhibited, unrestrained, open, hot, and wet. Soaking wet, that’s how Jazmín was.

“Flopi?”

“What?” Florencia gasped, opening her eyes and jerking her head back. She looked around the room, unsure when she had left, or why her head was swimming with images of Jazmín’s lips parted in desire.

“Are you okay? You sorta… left,” Jazmín said, kneeling on the floor in front of Florencia, staring up at her with a concerned look on her face.

“Yeah, yeah, I was just picturing - _moist, moist-_ the scene and lost myself in the - _moist vulva-_ craft,” she stammered, closing her eyes tightly, suddenly worried that Jazmín would look into her eyes and see herself there, bare and exposed. Slapping her chest three times, Florencia stood up and walked to the door. Her whole body felt like it was on fire, like her heart was pumping fire into her blood. What in the fuck had just happened? She had gotten too into the character. She was playing a woman who lost herself in a passionate lover and she had taken it too far. That was all. “- _Vulva, moist vulva-_.”

“Are you sure?” Jazmín asked as she stood up, clearly not believing a word Florencia said.

“No, no, - _ass, ass-,_ I mean, yes, - _fuck-_ I’m sure. Full of energy, that’s all!” Florencia said in a rush, choking on the words as she tried very hard to clear her mind and concentrate on the scene. “Ready?”

“Relax, relax,” Jazmín said in her usual tender tone, slowly moving one of her hands in a downward motion as she inhaled and exhaled slowly with Florencia. “I’m ready.”

Taking her place next to the door, Florencia started the scene. “Roberto, what are you doing here?” she gasped, clutching a hand to her chest as she turned around to face Jazmín.

“I couldn’t stay away. Rosa, I love you,” Jazmín said, stepping forward and grabbing her by the shoulders.

“We can’t,” Florencia gasped again, and then choked on her own saliva. “- _Fucking lungs-!_ ”

Gingerly slapping Florencia’s back, Jazmín said, “maybe less gasping?”

“Good idea,” she said, trying to breathe. It took her a moment but she regained her composure and control of her lungs. “Let’s keep going,” she said, when Jazmín moved to grab a glass of water.

“Okay,” she agreed, walking back to stand in front of Florencia. “So your line was…?”

“We can’t,” Florencia said, fifty percent less gasping this time.

“Right… so I kiss you,” Jazmín said, pressing her lips into a tight line.

“Which we won’t do,” Florencia said with a smile, feeling like Jazmín needed some reassurance. “But you should… grab me.”

“Right,” she said, limply grabbing Florencia’s shoulders.

“Like you weren’t my grandma maybe?” Florencia suggested gently.

Nodding, Jazmín tightened her hold and suddenly pulled Florencia into her arms, making her gasp, their faces mere inches apart. In the low light of the room, Jazmín’s eyes seemed such a dark green, like a forest being illuminated by the stars.

“Don’t say that, I can’t take this anymore,” Jazmín said, her eyes boring into her in a way Florencia could not understand. “Don’t you love me?”

It took her a moment, but Florencia remembered she was supposed to answer, so she did. “Oh, Roberto, you know I do,” Florencia moaned, grasping Jazmín’s waist, her fingers finding hot skin and naked muscle, making Jazmín jump. “Sorry, sorry, - _steel abs-!”_

“It’s fine, I forgot you were going to do that,” Jazmín said, swallowing thickly and licking her bottom lip, her tongue moving from left to right in one slow, smooth motion.

“- _Hard abs-_ , I can just grab your - _sweet ass-_ jacket,” Florencia said, blinking rapidly, the tips of her ears feeling a little too hot, her hands a little shaky as she pressed them against her chest, feeling her heart beating a little too fast.

Jazmín nodded and hummed her agreement, so Florencia clutched her jacket in a telenovela-appropriate fashion and closed her eyes for a moment to center herself. Rosa was supposed to swoon at the thought of making love to her secret lover and love of her life Roberto. She opened her eyes and looked straight into Jazmín’s flushed face, and moaned, “Oh, Jaz! - _Fuck, fuck-._ Sorry, sorry!”

“It’s cool,” Jazmín said in a tight voice.

“Oh, Roberto,” she tried again, swooning to the right name this time, feeling a bit dizzy as she breathed in Jazmín perfume, the scent of jasmine and peppers filling her lungs every time she inhaled. “You know I do. I love you with all my heart!” That moan had been a little too pornographic but Florencia could not find it in herself to care. “And we kiss,” she added, her eyes taking in the length of Jazmín’s eyelashes and how they fluttered, the depth of her green eyes and how dark they looked when she was so close, the line of her nose and how she inhaled and exhaled oh so slowly, and the curve of lips and how full they looked.

Letting out a low pitched hum, Jazmín said, “let me.”

“Let you what?” Florencia prompted, swaying her hips forward and closing her eyes.

“Let me love you,” Jazmín said, her voice a low whisper as she bumped her nose against Florencia’s cheek, her breath dancing over Florencia’s parted lips. Her fingertips traveled down Florencia’s shoulders to her arms and finally settled on her sides, her fingers digging in just the slightest bit.

For a long moment, she stayed like that, holding onto Jazmín’s strong shoulders as if her legs were going to give out, breathing in the dizzying perfume all around them, feeling the heat of Jazmín’s skin against her face, the strength of her hands as her thumbs pressed against her. For a long moment, the only thing Florencia heard was her own heartbeat, demanding to be freed and then she remembered her line, “yes.”

On cue, Jazmín twisted them around and all but lifting her from the ground, pushing forward until Florencia felt the bed behind her, and after a moment’s hesitation, Jazmín pushed a willing Florencia on the bed. “Are you okay?” Jazmín asked, breathing hard as she leaned over her, her hands on either side of Florencia’s hips.

Unable to make a single sound, Florencia nodded and grabbed Jazmín’s jacket and pulled Jaz down and on top of her. With a moan, Florencia raised her knees as Jazmín hovered over her, between her legs, her body so warm, so hot.

“You’re mine,” Jazmín said fiercely, a vow, a promise. Burying her face against Florencia’s neck, she pressed her nose against the side of her jaw, her breath hot against Florencia’s heated skin, making it even hotter as she settled some of her weight on her. “No one else’s.”

“Yours,” Florencia agreed, throwing her head back, her whole body trembling when she felt the whisper of Jazmín’s lips over her skin. Fire traveled from her neck, to between her breasts, down her stomach to between her legs.

Shifting her hips forward, her firm stomach pressing against Florencia’s raised skirt, Jazmín whispered into her ear, “you’re mine and I’m going to take what’s mine.”

“Jaz,” Florencia said with a gasp, saying the wrong name, grasping the back of Jazmín’s neck and pulling her closer as her legs wrapped around her slim waist, her calves resting over Jazmín’s firm backside.

Either not noticing or not caring about Florencia’s slip of the tongue, Jazmín clutched one of Florencia’s legs and said in a throaty voice, “I’m going to make you scream my name.” Her lips barely touching the skin as they traveled from Florencia’s ear to the spot where neck and shoulders met and, finally, she pressed a single wet kiss there, her tongue pure fire against Florencia’s burning skin. And suddenly, Florencia was cold as Jazmín pushed away from the bed and stood up. “I should go,” she said, sweeping her bands sideways, her eyes wide as she stepped back.

“Jaz,” Florencia said in a shaky voice, unsure how to beg her to come back. Unsure if she should beg her to come back.

“That was not-- You’re with Dani and I would never get in between--” Jazmín struggled with her words.

Their eyes locked for a moment, and Florencia had never seen Jazmín so open and bare before: her face flushed with unfulfilled passion and desire, the green of her eyes dripping with love and unshed tears, her lips trembling with guilt. How come she had never noticed it before?

“I need to leave. I’m so sorry,” Jazmín said, her voice breaking as she opened the door and left before Florencia managed to get up from the bed.

Stiffly moving towards her opened door, Florencia wondered why her heart had left with Jazmín. When she closed the door shut, she fell on her knees, shaking as she pressed a hand to her chest, wishing more than anything that Jazmín was there with her. Wishing more than anything that she was not scared to death. Wishing more than anything she was not in love with Jazmín, and then wishing she had not allowed such an ugly thought to cross her mind.

“Please,” she whispered, letting the tears fall, harshly slapping her chest until it hurt, and not knowing to whom she was begging.


	2. Lo Tenga o No

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The fic got longer, so yay? Also, comments are always lovely.

_Dame una razón para amar,_  
dame un atisbo de paz,  
brilla entre la multitud,  
despunta en la oscuridad.  
Dame, dame, dámela,  
dame una señal.

Lo Tenga o No - David Bisbal

 

Struggling to breathe between sobs and curses, between heartbreak and joy, and sadness and desire, Florencia wept, her body trembling as if all the warmth had left her body the moment Jazmín had left her room, had left her spot between Florencia’s spread legs.

It made her sick to think what she had almost done, what she had wanted to do, while she was still with Daniel. It made her even sicker to think about Daniel, to finally admit to herself why he could never measure up to Jazmín. How could he, a beautiful and selfish man who never saw beyond his own nose, compare to the woman Florencia had been falling for since she laid her eyes on her? No one could ever hope to be as beautiful, as amazing, or as brilliant as Jazmín. Not her favorite sister, not her beloved dad, and certainly not her disappointing boyfriend.

“Please,” Florencia begged again, pressing her hand into her chest. Nails dug in painfully as she tried to find the beat of her own heart, almost confused when she felt it under her hand when she knew for a fact Jazmín had taken it. There was no other way to explain the vast emptiness she felt in her chest, the emptiness that Jazmín had always filled with her presence, with her love.

From the first moment they had exchanged words, Florencia had known Jazmín was someone special, someone who she could not wait to get to know better. She remembered watching Jazmín walk to the kitchen, taking in the sway of her hips and the confidence of her steps, and smiling to herself because there had been something enchanting about her. And in just a few days, Jazmín had become the person Florencia would run to when she was upset, or sad, or happy. Whatever she was feeling, Florencia felt the overwhelming need to share it with Jazmín. Secret worries and hopes about her relationship with her sisters, gossip she had overheard about the guests, laughter and tears, and love, were all set aside until she could steal away a few minutes with Jazmín. It was all for Jazmín, and only Jazmín.

When she was finally able to breathe, Florencia dragged herself to the bed and buried her face in one of the pillows, her stomach twisting painfully with fear and longing when she picked up Jazmín’s perfume there. The scent of jasmine and peppers, and of herbs and soap had become the scent of home, safety, and desire, of everything she wanted. It was the scent of the woman she loved.

 _I can’t, I can’t,_ Florencia thought, forcing her face into the pillow until she could not breathe anymore. She needed someone to hold her, to tell her everything would be all right. She needed Jazmín to hold her and kiss her until Florencia forgot everything but the sensation of lips and fingers over her body.

No one knew how to hold her like Jazmín, her arms firm and gentle around her, as if Florencia was just as fragile as she was strong. Sometimes, when Florencia could not fall asleep, she would hold her pillow and remember how Jazmín had hugged her earlier that day, and the mere thought of her would be enough to help her relax her shoulders and unclench her jaw.

Thoughts of the softness of Jazmín’s eyes, the fire of her lips, the weight of her body over her, and the strength of her naked muscles spun in Florencia’s head as she cried until her throat was raw and her head hurt as much as her heart. She cried until she was exhausted and her body demanded sleep. But heart demanded Jazmín. Impulsively, she took out her phone and opened Whatsapp, and looked through tears to her chat logs with Jazmín.

It was all there. Insides jokes, long voice messages at two in the morning when they both were online, long elaborated messages about their day, silly pictures, and words of love concealed under the guise of friendship. It was all there for the world to see, for Florencia to see, and now she could not look away. She reread every message and listened to every audio until the very beginning of their conversation.

“Today was hard but I promise tomorrow will be better,” she had written, so desperate to make Jazmín feel comfortable.

“Well if you’re around, I’m sure it will be,” Jazmín had answered back.

“ _-Blind cunt-_ ,” she choked out, feeling like a moron. It had been there all along, since the first moment.

And then Jazmín appeared online and Florencia dropped her phone, watching in horror as it bounced on the bed and flew over the edge in some sort of suicide mission to ruin Florencia’s already terrible day. She cursed her mother, her grandmother, her fingers, and praised Jazmín’s ass as she picked up her phone from the floor. It was still working, and it still showed Jazmín online.

Drying her tears with the back of her hand, she waited for Jazmín to write something, anything. And waited. And waited.

And then Jazmín went offline.

 _“-Fucking shitty ass hell-_ ,” she choked out, shifting the phone back and forth in her hands.  _Write something, Jaz,_ she pleaded, pressing the phone against her temple twice, three times. And then her phone buzzed.

“Are you okay?” the message said.

Florencia wrote “yes” and deleted it, then wrote “no” and deleted it. She wrote, “I don’t know. You?” and stared at the words for a few seconds before hitting send, wishing she hadn’t, and relieved to the point of tears when she saw Jazmín typing.

“I feel terrible. I’m sorry.” And Jazmín went offline again.

“I miss you,” Florencia wrote and let her trembling thumb hover over the send icon. She thought about Jazmín, about the pain and guilt in her eyes as she stumbled over her words before leaving Florencia’s room. If she could, she would wrap her arms around Jazmín’s waist and would hold her tight. If she could, she would kiss Jaz’s tears away, as well as every inch of her neck. She hit send and then added, “I’m going to bed. I’ll see you tomorrow.” And turned off her phone before she could write anything else.

Taking off everything but her shirt and underwear, Florencia got under the covers of her bed, the bed where Jazmín had set her aflame, and hugged her pillow tight, deciding she would not think about what had happened anymore.

Her thoughts turned to Daniel, how he tried so hard when it was easy, and gave up so quickly when it was hard. She thought how he never understood a thing she said and assumed so much about her. How he had never defended her to his friends when they had made fun of her or had told him he could do better. Probably because, deep down, he believed it, too. It had been confirmation of everything she feared: she was a broken mess of a woman, unworthy to be loved. The humiliation had been too much, and she had run to the only place she felt safe: Jazmín’s arms. And then everything had been all right.

She remembered how Jazmín had held her so tight and caressed her back so gently, and how everything had melted away when they were so close. In just a few minutes, Florencia had found herself smiling and laughing, sharing tea with the most wonderful woman on earth. At that moment, she had wished more than anything that Jazmín and Daniel would trade places, but the thought had made no sense and she had dismissed it. And then she remembered how Jazmín had been wearing no makeup and nothing but boots and a half-unbuttoned, paint-stained shirt.

Slapping her hands over her eyes, Florencia tried to suppress the image but it was impossible. Jazmín had looked so beautiful wearing so little, wearing too much. There was no point in pretending, Florencia had trembled when she had noticed the black bra peeking over the shirt as it loosely hung down Jazmín’s strong shoulders. Her mouth had felt so dry, just for a moment, as she had stolen a peek at the pair of black underwear visible through the sheer, white material of the open shirt. Back then, her mind had been filled with thoughts of how beautiful her friend was. The word friend repeated over and over in her mind as she had tried so hard to ignore the tension in her body as Jazmín let herself be seen in such an intimate, private way. Right now, her mind was filled with images of Jazmín unbuttoning her shirt, and showing off her tight abdominal muscles and the smoothness of her breasts, letting her own hands touch flesh Florencia was dying to explore and worship with her hands and mouth.

She closed her eyes and tried to fall asleep, but all night images of Jazmín invaded her thoughts. Her mind was full of her, of her eyes, of her lips, of her naked body. Florencia could not stay still even for a moment, tossing and turning, trying desperately not to give in and move her hand between her legs, and do what she wished Jazmín had done. What she hoped Jazmín might do.

It was all so wrong because she was still with Daniel. But It did not feel wrong when Jazmín looked at her with her green eyes dripping with love, that lovely smile of hers calling onto Florencia like the sweetest melody.

All night long, she asked herself what she should and shouldn’t do, what she could and couldn’t do. Could she be with Daniel while she loved Jazmín? Could she kiss him while in her mind’s eyes it was Jazmín against her lips? Should she stay with a man she did not love and let herself and the woman she loved suffer? Could she ever hold Jazmín’s hand in the middle of the park? Didn’t Jazmín deserve a woman who would love her proudly and openly?

Why did she have to be such a fucking coward?

It would not do to lay in bed and wonder. This was something she could not solve on her own. She needed help and there was only one person she could run to. Some who, besides Jazmín, would never judge her no matter what she said. Someone who had lived through so much and had seen so much that nothing could shock her. Not giving it a second thought, she got up from her bed and marched herself to Miranda’s room with her keycard in her hands, and her heart in her throat. She knocked on the door once, and then nine more times as her nerves started to leave her, hoping Miru would not answer and relieved when she did.

Miranda, blonde hair everywhere and one of her eyes barely open at all, gave her a confused look as she said in a slow drawl, “what now? Is the hotel on fire again?”

“I need advice,” Florencia said, choking on her words, slapping her chest as she blinked repeatedly. Her eyes stung from the tears and the lack of sleep.

Yawning in an almost comical manner, Miranda said, “at five in the morning? Are you okay?”

“Can I come in?” she asked, her stomach twisting painfully. There was no time to waste; she could already feel how the bravery that had propelled her there was starting to drown in a sea of anxiety and fear.

“Yeah, sure,” Miranda said, blinking sleepily and ushering her in. “Flopi, what’s wrong? You look terrible,” she said, concern coloring her voice as she finally was awake enough to notice Florencia’s emotional state. “Have you been crying?”

“ _-Nosy whore-_ I need your _-whore, cheap whore-_ help,” she said, grunts and nonsense-sounds falling from her lips every other word.

“Okay, what do you--”

“Can you,” she started to say, but had to stop as she fought to get the words out through her tics and her tight throat.

“Can you what?” Miranda prompted gently, looking at her like a ticking time bomb. She was not wrong.

“Can _-ass, ass-_ you _-ass-_ be with someone _-tiny dick-_ if you care about _-sweet vulva-_ someone else?”

“You mean love two people?” Miranda asked slowly, sitting on her bed.

“I mean _-fuck-_ being with _-asshole-_ someone and _-cheating whore-_ wanting to be with someone else?” she asked again, snapping her fingers and rolling her shoulder over and over again. She might throw up.

“Why don’t you sit down with me?” Miranda said gently, reaching for her.

“I don’t want _-whore, whore-_ to sit down,” Florencia snapped, her eyes starting to tear up again. “Just answer the _-ass, ass-_ question!”

Pressing her lips together, Miranda looked at her with wide, panicky eyes. “I guess it depends…” she said, making a face and scratching her head.

“Depends on what?” Florencia said, hoping she would get the answer she needed and fix the mess she had made of her life.

“On the circumstances,” she said, thinking a moment before continuing. “If it’s possible to break up or not, if dangerous to be together, if the other person is also in love… things like that.”

“Okay, okay,” Florencia said, snapping her fingers. It made sense. There were circumstances where it was simply impossible to be with the person one loved. The question was if this was one of those situations. What if she left Daniel for Jazmín and Jazmín simply decided it was too much to be with a walking human disaster that ruined everything she touched? What if she didn’t leave Daniel and she regretted it the rest of her life? What if her inability to get her life under control hurt Jazmín? She would never forgive herself if anything happened to her.

“Does this have anything to do with your novela?” Miranda said after a long silence.

“ _-Dumb bitch-_ My what now?” Florencia asked, utterly confused.

“The part you got on that telenovela,” Miranda said slowly, as if she were talking to a child. “Are you asking because of that?”

“No, yes, no, no, I mean, _-ass-_ yes, in a way,” Florencia said, walking back and forth as she suddenly remembered why she was in the mess she was in the first place. That fucking script! That fucking script with that sex scene had ruined her life. And then she remembered Jazmín’s lips on her neck, her tongue against Florencia’s skin and the fire it had left there. “- _Moist vulva-!_ ”

“Can you please tell me what’s going on? I’m starting to get really freaked out,” Miranda said. And just for a moment, she looked just like their dad, with the same kind, concerned eyes he always had as he watched Florencia spiral down into another crisis.

“I can’t, I can’t,” Florencia whispered, sitting on the bed and letting out a sob as she closed her eyes tightly as if that was enough to keep the tears at bay.

“You can tell me anything, I swear I won’t judge you,” Miranda said, her voice soft and sweet. Florencia was so grateful her dad had brought Miranda into her life, even if that had meant losing him.

Burying her face in her trembling hands, Florencia considered lying, considered simply getting up and walking to her room so she could sleep for a week and hope the problem would fix itself. It would not do.

“ _-Ass-_ Something happened,” Florencia said slowly, sniffing through her tears as she forced the words out. She could not bring herself to look at Miranda, she could not stand to see disgust or disappointment in her eyes.

“Flopi, what happened?” Miru asked, wrapping her arms around her and holding tight, making Florencia feel like a scared little girl.

Holding on tightly onto one of Miranda’s arms, Florencia said, “I fucked up.”

“I’m sure whatever it is--”

“I _-cheating whore-_ think I have to break up with Dani,” she said, choking on the words as guilt and shame washed over her body.

“What? Why? Flor, what happened?”

That was the right question, and Florencia was too afraid to voice any answer so she said nothing and pushed the palms of her hands against her eyes.

“I don’t understand, yesterday everything was fine. What changed?”

How could she explain it?

“Something _-red vulva-_ happened yesterday and I can’t be with Dani _-dumb dick-_ anymore,” Florencia said slowly.

“Did Daniel do something?”

“No. It’s something I _-cheating whore-_ did.”

“Something like sleeping someone else?” Miranda asked gently, and when Florencia shook her head, she went on. “Did you kiss another guy?”

The memory of Jazmín’s lips traveling from her ear to her neck made Florencia shiver. It had been less than a kiss, it had felt as intimate as sex. At that moment, Florencia had been Jazmín’s and no one else's, and that had been a betrayal to Daniel.

“Not exactly,” Florencia finally admitted, leaning her temple against Miranda’s cheek.

“So no sex and no kissing,” Miranda said, as if any clarification was necessary. “But there is another guy?”

 _Just the most beautiful and wonderful woman on earth_ , Florencia thought before choking, “- _Tasty vulva-_ , yes, yes, there’s another person.”

“Who is it?”

“Someone I shouldn’t want,” was all Florencia could say.

“Okay,” Miranda said slowly, clearly considering her words carefully. “Is it Javo?”

“ _-Dumb whore-_ What? No! Me and Javo? _-Grumpy asshole-_ , are you crazy?” Florencia said, twisting her face in disgust, feeling completely insulted that Miranda would think for one second she would do that to Virginia.

“Okay, not Javo,” Mirada said, rolling her eyes. “It’s not Manuel, is it? Because if you have a crush on him, I swear I won’t get mad.”

“God, no,” Florencia said, making a face at the prospect of getting involved with the most boring man alive.

“Wow, okay, got it,” Miranda said, letting go of her and crossing her arms.

“Sorry, sorry, _-yapping vulva-_ , he is so nice and I’m sure--”

“Save it,” Miranda said, pouting like a child.

“It doesn’t matter who--”

Eyes widening all of the sudden, Miranda whispered, “Oh my god, no.” She grabbed Florencia by the shoulders and shook her as she pleaded, “for the love of God, please, tell me it’s not Ignacio!”

“ _-Dry dick-_ what the fuck is wrong with you?” Florencia asked, all but retching out the words and giving Miranda a disturbed look. What exactly was wrong with Miranda’s brain that such an ugly thought would even cross her mind?

“Well, you said it was someone you shouldn’t--”

“I’d rather stick a rusty nail up my vagina than to touch that _-ancient dick-_ ,” Florencia said, shuddering at the thought of those clammy and somehow dry hands touching her.

“Unnecessarily explicit, but I got it,” Miranda said, breathing a sigh of relief even as she made a face of disgust. “So are you going to tell me or should I keep playing twenty questions?”

“It’s just _-tasty vulva-_ someone,” Florencia said, looking away from her sister.

“Okay,” Miranda said slowly, her eyes filling with suspicion. “As long as it’s not someone who would hurt you.”

The thought of Jazmín hurting her on purpose was laughable. “This person would never,” Florencia said firmly.

“Okay, so tell me what happened,” Miranda said, crossing her legs as if they were about to share some juicy gossip.

“So yesterday, I needed someone to run the lines with me,” Florencia started to say. “And no one would help me _-traitor dicks-_. So I asked this person to help and this person said yes, and then, something _-hot vulva-_ happened,” she said, feeling the heat traveling to her cheeks as she remembered Jazmín on top of her, between her legs.

“Something as in… What exactly?”

“As in…” There was no way she could ever tell Miranda how Jazmín had made her wet with just one kiss. “Okay, okay, doesn’t matter, I’m just going to leave.” And she had completely lost her nerve.

“No, no! Come on, just tell me, Flor,” Miranda said grabbing her by the shoulders again. Usually, Miranda was not quite this touchy.

“Okay, okay,” she said, taking a deep breath. “We sorta _-dry humped-_ had physical contact,” she said, cringing at the words that came out of her mouth, wishing she had stuck her keycard in her mouth instead.

“So you and this person,” Miranda said, measuring her words carefully, “didn’t kiss or had sex, but touched?”

“Right.”

“So you held hands?”

“ _-Mean whore-_ Okay, I’m leaving,” Florencia said, trying to stand up as Miranda tried to pull her down.

“Flopi, no, I was joking, come on,” Miranda said with a laugh, wrapping her arms around her like a monkey holding onto a branch. “I’m just trying to understand why you would break up with Dani if nothing happened with this person.”

“Everything happened with _-red vulva-_ this person,” Florencia said, tapping her keycard against her temple. Everything did not feel like the right word. Love was the right word.

“And you want to leave Daniel to be with this person?”

She wanted to tell Miranda no, so she said, “yes.” She slapped one of her hands over her mouth, as if she could keep that wonderfully, horribly honest word from leaving her lips but instead she muffled the series of curses and vocal tics that soon followed.

“Flor, are you in love with this person?” Miranda asked, taking a page from Lucía's book and going after the truth with brutal efficiency.

It was too terrifying to say it out loud so she said nothing but mangled sounds.

“Be honest with yourself. If whatever happened was so intense that you want to break up with Daniel, then you need to voice why. It’ll do you good to let it all out.”

“I don’t know if--”

“What do you feel when you are with this person?” Miranda asked, pushing and prodding. “If this person was here right now and they hugged you, what would you feel?”

It was so easy to picture Jazmín holding her tight, kissing her temple as she murmured words of comfort because she had done it a thousand times before. No matter how sad or scared she was, if Jazmín was with her, Florencia felt brave and strong, even it if was for a fleeting moment. “I’d feel whole and happy, like I’m going to burst because my heart is too big for my chest. I’d feel like I can,” she admitted, wishing that she could be a fearless, free woman who did not look over her shoulder as people stared at her with disdain and pointed at her with their mocking fingers. “And then she’d made me laugh and I’d forget why I was sad in the first place,” she said, tears falling freely as she smiled at the memory of Jaz making breadcrumbs animals to distract her after a terrifying panic attack.

“I wish you could see yourself,” Miranda said, a gentle smile on her face as she touched Florencia’s shaking shoulder.

“Why?” she asked, catching the unwelcomed tears with the back of her hands as they fell down her cheeks.

“I’ve never seen you so…” Miranda hesitated, pressing her lips together as she looked at Florencia. “So happy. So in love.”

There was no point in denying it, not when the thought of Jazmín felt so right. “I need to break up with Dani,” she said, guilt and relief washing over her.

“You do. You shouldn’t be with him if you don’t love him. You should be with someone that makes you smile. With this person who made you smile like that,” she said, playfully bumping their shoulders together.

“Yeah, you’re right,” Florencia said, throwing herself back onto the bed as every muscle in her back relaxed.

“Do you think this person feels the same way?”

Closing her eyes, Florencia thought of Jazmín, and the way Jazmín looked at her. Her eyes, so green and so deep, always seemed to shine when they were together. If anyone interrupted, Jazmín would become a bit guarded and Florencia had learned quickly those eyes were only for her. The smile Florencia found so captivating only appeared when they were alone, and Florencia had learned how to tease Jazmín until her lips broke into an open, beautiful grin, eyes crinkled as her face was illuminated with humor and happiness. And last night, those eyes had been burning with guilt, desire and love.

“I think so. I hope so,” Florencia said, pressing a hand to her heart.

“Maybe you should ask or check somehow,” Miru suggested gently.

“I guess so…”

“You deserve to be happy,” Miranda started to say, and Florencia could not hear one more word out of her mouth.

“No, no, I don’t want to start with what I deserve or what I don’t deserve.” The truth was she did not deserve anything that had happened to her because no six-year-old, no matter how mischievous or misbehaved, deserved the hell of not having a single day of school without being teased or bullied until they were in tears. She certainly did not deserve losing the few good things she had but it kept happening. People kept leaving, people kept dying. If Florencia had something or someone she loved, she knew, sooner rather than later, she would lose them.

 _I’m going to lose her_. The realization hit her as a snake striking its prey, sinking its sharp and cold fangs into her heart. The ugly thought was venom spreading through her bloodstream; the fear a cold tail wrapped around her throat.

Losing Jazmín would be as painful as it had been to lose her dad. No, it would be much worse. If she lost Jazmín, Florencia would die. The spot where her heart used to be would become a gaping hole, consuming all warmth and light from her life, leaving her as cold and as fragile as broken crystal.

As if seeing her fear, Miranda said, “it’s going to be fine. I promise.”

And Florencia wanted to believe that more than anything, so she did. She wanted to believe she could look into Jazmín’s eyes and voice all the wonderful things she felt, and Jazmín would smile at her and return her love.

“Thank you,” Florencia said, looking up to her sister, wishing more than anything that their dad was happy to see them together and supporting each other, as the family they should have been all along.

“It’s nothing,” Miranda said, moving her hands as if she were waving the words away as she laughed a bit awkwardly.

“I’m so happy you’re my sister,” Florencia said, hugging Miranda around her middle, the position awkward and painful for her back, but so worth it.

“I’m glad you’re my sister, too,” Miranda answered back, hugging her back as best she could. And just for a moment, Florencia was completely happy. “I’d be happier if you were wearing pants tho,” she said, poking at Florencia’s cheek.

Looking down at herself, confirming she was wearing only her tiniest pair of black underwear, Florencia let out a, “- _exposed vulva-_ ,” as she sat up and attempted to shield her lower body, and, somehow, managed to elbow Miranda right in the face.

Miranda let out a, “fuck!” as she grabbed her face. “What the fuck, Florencia? My face! Fuck, that hurt!”

“No, no, Miru! I’m so sorry,” Florencia said, trying to grab Miranda’s face as her sister cried and dodged her hands. “I broke your face!”

“You broke my face!” Miranda said, holding one of her cheeks with both hands.

“I’m going to get ice! I’ll go to the kitchen and be right back in a sec,” she said, jumping out the bed and running out the door as fast as she could towards her bedroom and to some pants. Instead, she found Jazmín leaning against the wall next to her door, her head back as she stared at the ceiling with the most pitiful frown Florencia had ever seen. “ _-Sneaky vulva-”_ she choked out, nearly tripping on her feet as she stopped short a few feet from Jazmín.

Turning towards her, Jazmín opened her mouth to say something but whatever it was died on her lips in a sharp inhale, her eyes widening as she took in Florencia’s state of undress. Heat visibly traveled through Jazmín’s skin, from her chest, up her enticing neck, to her cheeks, and finally to her eyes. A fire erupted between Florencia’s legs as Jazmín’s usually gentle and soft eyes burned with such an intense, naked desire they all but set the little piece of black clothing ablaze, burning it off from Florencia’s desperate body and leaving her bare, exposed, and soaking wet.

“ _-Exposed vulva-_ ,” Florencia choked out, all the blood in her body rushing to her face as she pulled down the bottom of her shirt in a feeble attempt at covering herself just as Jazmín closed her eyes tightly and quickly turned her head to the side. “What are you _-vulva heater-_ doing here?”

“I came to check on you,” Jazmín said in a tight voice, pressing her lips together until they turned white under her pink lipstick. Her face was as red as her hair, except under her eyes where Florencia could see concealer caked in, an attempt to hide the dark circles. “I wanted to know if you were okay after last night.”

“Oh,” was all Florencia could respond.

“Are you okay?” Jazmín asked, opening her eyes and setting her gaze somewhere over Florencia’s head as she wrung her hands nervously.

“I don’t know what I am,” Florencia admitted, jerking her shoulder. The only thing she knew with any certainty was that the distance between left too vast, just a few feet felt like endless miles, and she was too overwhelmed with love and guilt to do anything but to stand there and wish Jazmín would take her in her arms and love her. “You?”

“I’m sorry,” Jazmín said, pressing a hand over her eyes. Looking at Jazmín, she realized she was not the only who needed a hug. Shoulders down, lips twisted slightly downward, her head slightly bowed, and her eyes red around the edges, Jazmín looked as if she had the weight of the world on her shoulders.

“I missed you,” Florencia said, the words coming out unprompted. The embarrassment she should have felt as her mouth ran ahead of her brain did not come when she saw Jazmín’s trembling smile. What wouldn’t she do to make her smile?

“Yeah?” Jazmín asked, her voice a mere whisper. Swallowing thickly, she finally met Florencia’s eyes. Even as exhausted as she was, Jazmín was beautiful, the green of her eyes decorated with specks of gold and brown, the fullness of her lips painted with pink and the warmth of her smile, the softness of her skin illuminated by a lovely blush. When Florencia looked at her, she could see all the wonderful things in the world in her, all the comfort, all the safety, all the laughter, and all the love she needed in her life.

“Of course,” Florencia said, nervously pushing her hair back. Her heart was beating so fast and so hard, Florencia was sure Jazmín could see it as it struggled to break free from her chest. “I always miss you.”

“I always miss you, too,” Jazmín said, taking a tentative step forward. Her lips twisting up in a slight smile, her bottom lip was so full, so inviting, as if was made to be bitten. She was beautiful, she was lovely, and Florencia was overwhelmed with love for her.

All night, Florencia had wished she could be in Jazmín’s arms, to lose herself in her embrace, and now Jazmín was right there, her face open and tender, her body calling for Florencia. Why should she avoid what they both wanted?

Taking a step forward, Florencia started to raise her arms, ready to throw herself at Jazmín, and then she heard a, “Flopi, where’s the ice?” coming from behind her, and she lost her nerve again.

“ _-Interrupting vulva-,_ I’m getting it,” she said in a high pitched voice, sharply turning around in a panic. It felt like she had been caught with her pants down. “- _Hot vulva-_ ,” she choked out, and she tried to pull down the bottom of her shirt again, remembering her lack of pants.

“What happened to you?” Jazmín asked, and Florencia felt her moving closer to her.

“Nothing!”

“Florencia hit me in the face,” Miranda said, holding her cheek.

“- _Tattletale vulva-_ ,” Florencia choked out, the tips of her ears redding with embarrassment.

“What happened?” Jazmín asked Florencia, as she stepped in right behind her, the whisper of fingers against the back of her hand. It was too much, it was not enough.

Wishing more than anything she could fall into Jazmín’s arms, Florencia said, “it was an accident.” Jazmín stepped even closer, close enough Florencia could feel the heat of her body and smell her dizzying perfume. Her knees felt so weak for a moment she had to close her eyes to gather enough strength not to turn around and kiss Jazmín all over.

“A painful accident,” Miru grumped, eying Florencia with mock anger, and then looked over her shoulder at Jazmín. “What are you doing here so early?”

“I’m here because,” Jazmín started to say slowly. And Florencia suddenly remembered Jazmín was a terrible, terrible liar. “I had an early shift.”

“At six in the morning?” Miranda asked, looking at Jazmín as if she was stupid. “Is Carla paying overtime now?”

“I wish,” Jazmín said with a laugh, suddenly moving away from Florencia, leaving her cold. “I should go to the kitchen. I have so much to do before breakfast.”

“Breakfast is in like two hours,” Miranda said, giving her a confused look. “And the kitchen is downstairs. Why are you here?” She looked at Florencia, then back at Jazmín, and then back again. Very, very slowly, Miranda straightened her back as realization dawned in her eyes.

 _Oh no,_ Florencia could only think as Miranda suddenly struggled to contain a smile. “- _Exposed vulva-!_ I should get you that ice--”

“Nah, Jazmín can get it for me,” Miranda said, all but vibrating as she looked at Florencia. This was so not good. ”Right?”

Florencia could feel Jazmín’s eyes on her, could feel the concern as she said, “as long as you don’t need anything else, Flor…”

Looking at Miranda, at the way she was bending her knees as if she was ready to sprint out, Florencia decided it would be fine. “No, it’s fine. I should go to bed. I haven’t really slept at all,” she admitted.

“And you should get some pants. I’m sure Jazmín is getting tired of having to look at your ass. Right, Red?” Miranda asked with a teasing smile.

“ _-Horny vulva-,_ stop, shut up,” Florencia said, slapping Miru’s shoulder, yet pleased at the thought of Jazmín been unable to look away from her.

Jazmín let out a high pitched hum and walked to the elevator. Her stride was always so confident. There was a certain rhythm to the way she moved that was almost hypnotic, her hips swaying side to side, the muscles of her backside straining against her tight jeans. Those muscles had felt so strong against Florencia’s calves.

“ _-What a booty-_ ,” Florencia choked out as she watched Jazmín walk away. Her face exploded into a blush as Miranda snorted out a laugh. Never before had she wished for a sinkhole to open under the hotel, but right now, it sounded like a fantastic possibility.

Turning around once to give Florencia a beautiful, bright smile, Jazmín said, “I’ll see you later, Flopi,” and then she took the elevator downstairs.

There was a moment of long silence as Miranda stared at her, her lips pursed into a childlike smile. The third degree was coming, Florencia knew it, and she had to escape.

“Flor, Flopi, Flopa of my life,” Miranda said in a rush as she grabbed her by the shoulders as Florencia moved to open her door.

“Don’t start, _-ass, ass-_ ,” Florencia said as she failed five times to open the door. " _-Fucking shitty keycard-_."

“But Flopi,” Miranda said, taking the keycard from her and easily opening the door on her first try.

“I need sleep,” she said, rushing into her room and trying to close the door as Miranda grabbed her by the arm.

“You have no idea how she looks at you!”

That made her stop. “How does she look at me?” she asked, pressing a hand over her heart.

With a teasing smile, Miranda said, “like she’s crazy in love.”

Feeling like she was going to faint, Florencia asked, "really?"

"Oh my god, yes! I think her hair was turning green," Miru said, laughing and clapping her hands. She was enjoying the situation a bit too much. Miranda had never been this happy for her and Daniel before. Maybe because her sister had been able to see what Florencia had known all along: Daniel was wrong for her, he did not make her happy.

Relief, joy, and guilt washed over her. Her heart was already running toward Jazmín when her mind reminded her of what she needed to do before that.

“I need to break up with Dani,” Florencia said with finality.

“You do,” Miranda said, tenderly grabbing Florencia’s hand and giving it a squeeze. “It’s the right thing.”

“It is,” Florencia said, feeling more and more sure of her decision.

“And then you can fuck Jazmín good.”

Florencia shut the door in Miranda’s grinning face, wishing she was mad at her sister but unable to contain giddiness she felt at the thoughts that invaded her mind.

Yes, she needed to break up with Daniel, so she could love Jazmín like she deserved to be loved: open, freely and proudly.


End file.
